Fallout 4: The Fallen Nation
by Desiderio
Summary: Two centuries have passed since the bombs fell. New life roams the earth. Humanity has fought hard to survive. But before the war, man had tried to tamper with nature. Now, during the present time, Vault One Eleven's last survivor will encounter the fruit of this labor...an Alpha-Predator. Main Characters: Survivor, Dogmeat, Codsworth, Curie, Cait, Strong, Nick, Piper.
1. The Beast

Author's Note: Howdy folks. How we doing today?

I'll make this quick. This story has been on the back-burner for a few years now. I know it's something I want to work on so I HAVE to get this first chapter out. Doesn't matter how long it takes me to finish the story, but I need it out here.

The main reason I ever come up with ANY stories is because I always want to bring an idea that seems interesting and may not have been done before. I want it to inspire people one way or the other. Let people learn from anything I accomplish or mess up.

This is no different.

Feedback whether it be negative or positive is completely welcome. Whether it's about my method of writing to anything within the world I'm trying to portray, I want to hear it all. It's hard to improve when no one tells me what's up. That said, if you notice any irregularities in this chapter, misspellings, wrong word placement, any of that, let me know about it as well.

Don't know when the next chapter will be up but for now, I need the main elements to be introduced. I already have a huge climax chapter written out, but obviously, I need to get the story from here to way the fuck over there.

I'll give the rest of the details at the end of the chapter, so please, get yourself a meal and beverage, or maybe popcorn, whatever you prefer, and enjoy.

Fallout 4

The Fallen Nation

Chapter One

The Beast

The world has been in disarray for two hundred years. In that time, humanity has done what it can to get by. But the fallout of the war did more than just destroy the world. It caused mutations. It caused new forms of life to exist. Through perseverance alone, humanity has been able to live alongside new threats. Some pockets of civilization are better off than others, but for the majority, the act of living is a fight for survival every day.

There have been factions that have come and gone. Some remain.

Those in power have been diligent at work, trying to harness new forms of technology and the like.

However, one group has been working on a project that the rest of humankind would call insane. It had been attempted once before, but was a complete failure, and because of this, killing machines that have become myth now roam the america's. Just as they had been worked on since before the days the bombs fell, a new group has been at work seeking to 'tame' this form of nature.

It appears they may have had some form of success.

The Lone Survivor will encounter this new phenomenon.

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...Strong is bigger than world knew..."

"You mean WORLD is bigger than Strong knew, right?"

The small company traveled through the North East areas of the Commonwealth. Strong blinked several times, realizing he had been corrected. "Guh...you mock Strong, human?" His face contorted in slight irritation, though the woman in the blue vault suit just chuckled. "Haha, not at all big guy. Just thought I'd let you know that you messed up your wording."

"...Hn, perhaps Rex right about you."

And so, just another day in the Commonwealth was coming to a close.

"Miss Lorraine, are we to head home yet? My sensors indicate that you need some form of nourishment, including the pup here."

At first, Lorraine looked up at the cloudy sky. "Ten-Four on that Codsworth, we're hauling around enough crap as it is." She turned and got on one knee, beckoning her second friend to walk towards her. "Come here girl." She offered a smile and pet the dog's head. "Hungry?" She chuckled again, rubbing her ears. Strong on the other hand snorted. "Why not use dog for food? Tastes good."

Codsworth practically had a heart attack. "Ex-CUSE us? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Mister Strong, but Miss Lorraine and I are of a different breed! Back in our day, dogs were ALWAYS man's best friend! We will not use the pup here for such twisted gluttony!" He made a point of pointing his 'finger' to strong as he made his proclamation.

"Robot man not even have stomach!"

"Guys, focus. It'll be alright. Stop fighting please."

And once again, Lorraine came to the rescue.

Laughing off the small argument, the young woman continued to lead the way.

"Grr...stupid robot."

"Neanderthal-ish Brute."

'Bark!'

{_These guys, as long as they don't kill each other...and I don't lose my sanity...I think we'll be okay._}

It had been earth shattering to awaken to this new period in time, but somehow, Lorraine was adapting to the post-apocalyptic world much better than she honestly thought she would. As it would be for just about anyone, the sheer magnitude of all that had happened to the earth after two centuries was something very difficult to process.

Just one day, everything's normal: Television, a house, bills to pay, a personal vehicle, a husband and a newly born child...and then apparently the next day, all of that is gone, replaced by death and decay, _everywhere_, and horribly twisted animals and creatures that the world of science would have never thought possible, roam about as if it were an every day thing, because it now _is_ an every day thing. Even the drinking of _water_ is considered dangerous. All the more reason to appreciate having ever gotten Codsworth.

So at least she had some amount of the past with her. That did not, however, change the fact that she no longer had the life that she once had, all due to the stupidity of humankind. Thinking about it was slowly beginning to dampen her mood, so she simply focused on the road ahead. Well, the 'path,' one could call it, was far north east of Trinity Tower, the area from which Lorraine ended up finding Strong and his human companion, Rex Goodman.

That had all been chance, but it's a good thing she had had Codsworth and Dogmeat with her. The Sheppard herself had proven as an excellent distraction for that mini-gunning bastard Fist. Then Codsworth came in with the fire-throwing and the saw...then Lorraine herself came up and close with her shotgun. Add in a few punches to his gullet with some sharp knuckles and he fell down quick enough.

Not exactly 'good times,' seeing as how she learned of the horrors committed by super mutants. Regardless, she had earned herself a powerful victory and much experience in dealing with them. {_Would've been nice if I hadn't had to see all those meat bags..._} Her face tensed in slight anger, but she let go of the negative emotion fast. It wouldn't do well to stress.

Sighing to herself, she brought up her pip-boy, going to the map section. "First we'll need to go to Green-Top Nursery. I promised to take those guys a few supplies, remember Codsworth?" She spared a glance and a thumbs-up to the floating automaton behind her as she continued leading the way. He of course couldn't answer quick enough. "Yes madame! I remember perfectly if my memory banks aren't malfunctioning! He said exactly, 'We could use some adhesives like glue or tape, anything of the sort.' It seems to me that he and his friend intend to craft some things."

"I think so too. Coming this far out to look for stuff was a good idea."

That's when Strong had something to say. "Little Human is a survivor. Not many humans can travel far in wastes without becoming food for brothers...or Deathclaws."

Lorraine immediately noticed the shift in tone from the tall humanoid, so she turned to look at him directly, skipping over a puddle as she did so. "What's a Deathclaw?"

It was odd when both Codsworth and even _Strong_ became silent for a few seconds, but it became concerning when _Dogmeat_ whimpered at the word, looking around, pressing her ears to her head. "Grr...Strong admit he not the strongest in world...that title belongs to Deathclaws."

Before she could ask, Codsworth began the explanation. "Mum, in the time since you've been gone, many new creatures have mutated and evolved. You have the petty buggers like the bloatflies and mole rats, then the stronger creatures like the mongrel dogs and Bloodbugs all the way up to the Stingwings and Radscorpions. Then for the creatures of the water, we have the Mirelurks, themselves being the most well defended of pretty much any creature around now...then for more land based creatures you have the Yao Guai, the poor irradiated descendants of the bears. In the human category, we have the feral ghouls...then you have the gunners and raiders, being nothing without their precious weapons, the grunts really. Then come the super mutants and _very_ rarely, the Behemoths, Supermutants to the tenth power. We then have the Alpha-Predators of the commonwealth...and perhaps even all of the America's...the Deathclaws."

Lorraine slowed down to look at the three of them, most notably Dogmeat and her reactions to the word. How odd it was that a dog understood the word.

"You forget Mirelurk Queen stupid robot. They huge like Behemoth brothers."

"I've never even _heard_ of a Mirelurk Queen you big oaf! Forgive my apparent ignorance! And surely there's other creatures out there you or I have yet to know about anyway, so there."

"So what have I already had the displeasure of encountering so far?" Trying to stop another argument from popping up, Lorraine interjected with a question to her personal robot. "Yes mum. So far it's only been the baser mammals and insects, although we've now had the misfortune of battling Strong's brothers. Luckily other than that, we are doing well. And so far as I've surmised, the safest place I know of that isn't guarded by walls happens to be our own little 'Sanctuary!' Ha-ha! See what I did there?"

"Strong not understand."

Lorraine just chuckled to herself, nodding as she led the way. "Ten-Four Codsworth. As long as we follow the same path we took to get way the heck out here and not a random path back home, the chances of us getting up close and personal with something scary is pretty much gonna be reduced to nothing, and we're getting pretty close as it is, so I'd say another thirty minutes and we'll make it there."

"As a matter of fact mum, thanks to the coordinates I happen to have, we'll actually make it there in thirty-two minutes and forty seconds at this pace. An excellent guess mum! Ha-ha!"

"Robot annoying."

"I don't believe anyone was asking you for your opinion Mister Strong!"

"_Guys..._" Lorraine started rubbing her temples, but was actually more entertained than anything.

Only a few hours and both of them were starting to act like brothers.

OOO

**_Sometime Later..._**

After the supposed thirty minutes or more, Green-Top Nursery was finally in sight. Along the way, the group had no encounters with anything, not even Bloodbugs, and they actually found a few more little items to add to their collection. There had been a few areas they could have explored, but as Leader of the squad, and considering the fact that they did in fact have enough caps and supplies for the day, Lorraine made the decision to just avoid those areas, opting to go through the open and empty spaces.

At least then, if there were any enemies, they would be seen first and wouldn't be able to ambush the group.

But now, the squad was in a slightly wooded area, thanks to Green Top being in such an area and on top of the hill.

"This place Nursery?"

"Ten-Four big guy. There's only two people here but I'm thinking once we get a beacon set up, more people are gonna start coming around. Although I'd rather just..."

One of the two men noticed her. "Lorraine! What's up! And uh...who's your new friend?"

Strong grumbled for a second but decided to introduce himself. "I am Strong, little man. Human save Strong and Rex Goodman from brothers. Strong follow her now to find Milk of Human Kindness."

Lorraine gave it a few seconds but ended up chuckling at the settler's confused expression. "He's not gonna hurt anyone man. Just like Codsworth and Dogmeat here, he's a new member. Hopefully he'll see me and the crew as family at some point._ Anyways, _here's all the stuff you wanted..."

She went up to one of the building stations and opened up her satchel. "Got a few rolls of tape, managed to find some wonder-glue, annnnnnnnd I actually got some vegetable starch. That'll work too, no?" She placed everything down and gave a smile of accomplishment. "Oh yeah, I'm good. Not much of a good gunfighter but I make that up with my smarts and my stamina."

As much as the appearance of Strong was bothering him, the gentlemen was more than generous enough to look for the reward that this random woman and her small team had very much earned. "Yeah...you really know what you're doin out here. Thanks a lot. I knew this stash of caps would come in handy some day." As he looked over the contents, he took out the bag of currency that had utterly bewildered Lorraine when she first set foot outside for the first time in two hundred years.

Luckily Codsworth had been a big help in giving her knowledge about how things worked nowadays.

"No problem. Hope everything works out for you guys. Just um...I got something else I might need." She bit her lip and looked elsewhere, hoping it would be okay to ask.

The settler was putting the supplies away for further use, but he was more than ready to answer. "Whatcha got for me ma'am?"

"Dog needs food." Strong bluntly made the statement, knowing already how Lorraine did not like asking people for things. "Human has food for human, Strong has food for Strong. But dog not have own food yet. Robot not need anything."

"You could at least ask _nicely_ you over-sized Neanderthal! Guh! Such terrible manners!"

This actually prompted the man to laugh. "Oh gosh, yeah yeah, that's fine. We have extra meat leftover from a Radstag. Part of the legs and stuff. Go get it please Frank?"

"Yeap, gotcha." The guy designated as 'Frank' had been studying Strong the whole time, but he had been following the conversation. "Strong prefer to just eat dog, but Robot says that make Human unhappy, so Strong listen."

"Ah, well, good on you Strong. I think you'll like hangin' out with Lorraine. She's proving to be one of the better things to happen to people like us in a long time."

"Strong not hang himself or human."

The response was plenty enough to give Lorraine and the settler a good laugh.

"That is not what the gentlemen is implying Mister Strong." Codsworth turned his three vision-sensors to him, obviously not seeing how funny the little interaction was.

'Bark!'

And so, after a little bit of chit-chat and what-not, Lorraine looked at the time on her pip-boy. "Well guys, like I said before, I'm glad you're making it out here. Thanks for the caps and food. I'll be sure to check up on ya'll if I'm passing through again." She gave a piece sign, strapping her satchel back on.

"Much obliged, we pretty much still owe _you_ really. All the hell you went through just to get us a few pieces of junk is worth a lot more than we gave you, you know? But you scored big-time cause now you got the Strong Man on your side, ain't that right bro?"

Strong was just standing there minding his own business until he heard his name. "Strong is Super Mutant, not 'bro,' but yes little man, Human is lucky to have Strong as follower."

This caused the two men to snicker. "No problem Strong, just making sure I'm right."

"Anyways guys, we'll see you later. Stay safe ya hear?" Lorraine extended her hand.

And just like that, she shook hands with them. "Will do ma'am, I would tell you the same but you got three good bodyguards that know that the heck they're doin'. Props to you."

"I agree, thanks again."

"Later."

"Bye."

Without further ado, the woman waved and turned around, ready to go straight home.

As she started walking down the hill, she took another look at her pip-boy.

"Alright fellas...we may have to do a little zig-zagging to get there, but we should be able to make it there by nightfall. Hopefully." She nodded to herself and stepped onto the road. It would only be about three seconds before she noticed something when she looked directly forward. {_That's weird._} However, her thoughts were immediately interrupted by one familiar Super Mutant. "Why avoid combat human? Scared of wasteland prey?" He seemed a little peeved, being the aggressive berserker that he was.

It was still noon-ish, so even though it was cloudy, everything was clear. The first time Lorraine came through here was earlier that morning, so she hadn't even seen the big area that was a sinkhole. "Not at all Strong..." She started walking closer, just out of natural curiosity. The others followed as she continued to speak. "It's just that I'm low on ammo. I'm strong for a human being but if I were to go hand-to-hand with something out here in the wastes, I'd rather have some kind of melee weapon. Tomorrow I plan to look for more ammo and stuff, and anything I can use for when I don't have ammo..." She continued onward until she was inside the destroyed building. She moved close to the edge and observing the damage to the area.

"Just like you having that big sledgehammer, I need something I can use either to...hack enemies to pieces or beat them down to a pulp. I'm not saying I like that though."

"Good heavens Miss Lorraine I'm so glad to hear that. Nowadays people are just murderers and thieves, I'm glad you are not turning out to be that way."

The woman merely nodded, still looking down at the hole, noticing how the other half of this particular building had broken and was just a mess, now fallen into the hole. She noticed something else. "Hey look..." She pointed down, to which the other two looked, seeing a destroyed vehicle, but right next to it was a green chest.

However, they didn't seem to notice how Dogmeat was suddenly uncomfortable.

"A military ammo dump. Shall we go down there and see what's inside mum?"

'whine'

The woman was about to answer, but turned immediately at the sudden whimper that Dogmeat gave off. "Hmm? What's the matter girl?" She looked at her in concern, going over and kneeling so she could pet her and rub her back.

Strong and Codsworth exchanged glances, and the former spoke first. "Something not right. Dog senses something."

"I must agree with Mister Strong. My sensors indicate an accelerated heart-rate in Dogmeat. There must be danger nearby."

Lorraine's eyes slightly narrowed as she looked around, noticing something. "Why is it so quiet out here?" She lowered her voice to a whisper.

Her attention returned to her companion. "...It's okay girl, we'll make it through this, okay?" Comforting her as best she could, she gave her a kiss on the forehead and crouched, sneaking back outside the building. {_But why the hell would there be something dangerous around here if the guys live just right there? They didn't pick somewhere to live and didn't even bother to scan the surroundings...I hope._}

"By the way mum..." Codsworth spoke in a hushed tone, Strong pulling out his sledgehammer and marching forward, making sure to go ahead of her. "My internal map labels this area as 'Old Gullet Sinkhole...' I am not certain if that information helps...as I do not know of the wildlife around here..."

"...Who knows...we'll find out later for sure."

That's when they heard a gunshot and a roar.

Strong immediately turned in the direction it came from. "HA! YAO GUAI! MAKE GOOD PREY!"

Before the others could say anything, the super mutant took off, around the sinkhole, and the sounds of a scuffle could be heard. However, the leader of the squad was wondering if that was really why Dogmeat was so disturbed. "Miss Lorraine..." The robot began, watching as Strong disappeared over the hill, but following Lorraine. "I do not believe a Yao Guai is the reason for Dogmeat's distress."

"We'll worry about that in a second Codsworth!" The woman immediately started running as she realized a sudden possibility. "C'mon! We have to make sure whoever's shooting doesn't end up thinking Strong's an enemy!"

The robot immediately understood. "Yes Ma'am! Tally-ho!"

And took off they did, but it didn't even take twenty seconds to get to the battle-zone, just above another hill.

"HA! FACE ME!"

_"Roooooaaaaa!"_

It seemed Strong arrived just in the nick of time, as a lone settler had just narrowly escaped death by climbing onto a tree. "Mother-fucker!" His leg was bleeding.

"Strong! To the left!"

Perfectly to a T, Strong dodged to the left, and Lorraine fired her rifle, hitting the irradiated bear in the side. _"Rooooaaaa!"_

"Oooohhhh it looks like you angered him mum! I'll protect you! En garde!"

Lorraine lowered the weapon and watched as both of her allies started going back to back against the animal. She sort of felt sorry as fire was unleashed upon it, though that didn't mean her friends weren't getting damaged.

"Ha! You hit like a radroach! RRAHH!" The beast managed to hit Strong hard on the side, but the Super Mutant quickly retaliated and managed a fast one by punching the animal straight in the face. _"Roooaaa!"_ It immediately charged, to which Strong was knocked back against the very tree the settler had retreated too. "Guh! Not even CLOSE to beating ME!"

The beast however was smarter than that, and immediately turned and charged the incoming Codsworth. "Huh?!"

He immediately braced for the impact and was knocked back.

{_So this is what happened to the bears. Didn't have a thing for them before...but this is just sad, seeing them like this._} Readying her weapon, Lorraine immediately ran for the cover of some fallen trees, up high on the hill next to her.

What she didn't expect was the small pack of mole rats right where she was going to hide. "What the-?!"

The creatures hissed while she backed up and took out her shotgun. {_So much for a hiding spot! __One, two, SIX! Alright, not that much! Gotta get rid of them quick!_}

BOOM

One down, the others scattering.

In just a few short minutes, Lorraine's whole day went from good to bad. However, the odds were in her favor, even if she herself was outnumbered. As she began using her vats system for better accuracy, she ran scenarios through her head. It was two against one when it came to the Yao Guai, one of them a Super Mutant and the other a Mr Handy _with_ _a saw and a flamethrower_. Surely that meant something.

And her predicament...well, the little bastards were only a threat if they bit her. Those jaws were probably saturated with a lot of dangerous bacteria.

BOOM

BOOM

Three down, three to go.

"RAGE! RAAAAAAAAAGE!"

The woman heard Strong apparently get mad about something, but she was too focused on the remaining little bastards that were trying to jump her.

BOOM

Another down, this time without the vats system. Two more were left.

"I don't feel pain, you know?!"

Codsworth was heard, along with a loud clang, but that was good, it meant they were holding up. Trying to run circles around them, Lorraine waited patiently for her vats system to replenish. {_Ten seconds...seven seconds...four seconds..._} She reloaded her gun. {_Zero seconds._} She reactivated her vats system.

BOOM

BOOM

And down they went, blood splattering all over the ground. Fortunately she didn't get any on her clothes. However, as she took a few breaths, she heard the sound of rapid movement.

Immediately she tensed and spun around, getting one of the biggest scares of her life as the Yao Guai was only three feet away from her.

In that split second, she saw Strong lifting himself from the ground and Codsworth knocked over a small ledge, also beginning to get up.

"HUMAN!"

She was barely able to throw up her arms as the beast rammed her...and she was knocked off her feet...towards the large sinkhole.

"GAH!"

She twisted in mid air and landed hard, her rifle and shotgun knocked off of her person.

The initial blow stunned her, so by the time she got to the edge, it was too late. In her disoriented state, she recognized that she just barely gained the momentum to roll right over the ledge. And naturally, she tried to hang on to something, but it was beyond her control at this point. It was almost surreal as she began to roll down the edge.

It was only a few seconds, but it seemed to take forever, and by the time she made it to the bottom, her whole body was damaged.

She was now on her front, just laying there next to a pallet and the car she had seen earlier, the one with a military chest right in front of it. But none of that was registering right now.

She was numb.

Her eyes were slightly opened, and she had an expression of disbelief. She wasn't actually even thinking of anything at this point. Then, the pain started to set in. All over, and especially her head, she started to feel immense pain. She bit her lips and closed her eyes, trying her best to relax her body as she took even breaths.

"...hhhhh..." She let out just the smallest of pained grunts, but that was it. The world was a terrible place now, and the only way to adapt would be to strengthen her will and deal with this. It had only been TWO days since she was released from that frozen prison, and even if two hundred years had drastically mutated and morphed the world into something she would have never thought possible, she _refused_ to just submit and die a beggars death. She _would _pull through this, no matter what.

_"Roooaaa!"_

She tensed again, this time in anger as she heard the Yao Guai snarl from some random direction. Apparently the creature was finding its way down to her. {_Great...just my luck...come on Strong...Codsworth...help..._}

'Bark!'

Lorraine's eyes opened wide. {_No. No! Dogmeat get out of here!_} As she began to agonize over what terrible and possible fate could happen, she heard movement once again, then the whining, and then feeling a warm tongue on her forehead. "No...get out of here girl...he'll kill you..."

'whine'

Once again, she was alarmed. Yet again, Dogmeat began to wine. She struggled as she turned her head up, observing her canine friend's submissive form, the poor thing once again with her tail between her legs, looking at something.

_'Raaaoooo...'_

The woman heard the approach of the Yao Guai, apparently having found a way down without hurting itself.

"HUMAN!"

"MUM!"

It seemed they were too late, but Lorraine heard as they came down. {_Hurry...hurry! Dogmeat doesn't stand a chance!_} It was odd how she was more concerned over the well-being of the pup than herself, but she didn't care. Her thoughts quickly turned to the enemy, as the creature was now only several feet away from them, directly opposite of the direction that Strong and Codsworth were coming from.

'BARK'

Through the haze that was her disoriented state, Lorraine tried to study what exactly was going on with Dogmeat. First she was whining, now she was barking aggressively...but once more she seemed to go back to whining, shuffling uncomfortably.

"MUM, WE'LL SAVE YOU!"

"YES HUMAN...STRONG...will..."

Lorraine had been facing the direction she fell down from, which was where Strong and Codsworth came from, so now, she was able to see how both of them immediately stopped, looking at the Yao Guai apparently.

There was a slight problem however. They were tense.

Strong's eyes had become far wider than Lorraine had seen them in the few hours she'd known him. Codsworth retracted all of his limbs, his visual scanners all locked on the enemy apparently.

The Yao Guai started to snarl and growl again, but neither Dogmeat, nor Strong, nor Codsworth were paying attention to that.

'whine'

"...Human..."

The sense of urgency in Strong's voice as he gripped his weapon far tighter started to alarm her.

"Mum...now we know why Dogmeat has been so nervous these past few minutes..."

Lorraine blinked a few times, and just as she was about to turn her head, a sound she had never heard before was uttered.

**_"Nnnnnnnnnnnn...hhhhhhhhhhhhh..."_**

The vocal power from whatever the low rumbling came from once more set Lorraine's instincts on high alert, and she put every ounce of strength she could into lifting her head and turning so she could see in the opposite direction.

And then she saw it.

The Yao Guai had turned around, and it began to growl as it finally noticed a new adversary.

Only, this enemy was much larger than it was, and far more menacing, resting inside the building that had shielded it from view.

Lorraine supposed now that she had finally seen it all...because she couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.

**_"NNNNNNNNN...RRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."_**

A warning.

The Yao Guai had overstepped its boundaries and walked straight into the territory of one of the most terrifying and mythic creatures to ever walk the post-apocalyptic lands of the America's, and now the beast was giving it a warning to get the hell out.

The creature submitted, having encountered beasts like this before and knowing how utterly dreadful the outcome would be, so it started to back away, before taking off.

'whine'

The remaining four were at a loss.

Three of them were wounded, especially Lorraine, and Dogmeat just wouldn't make it even in self-defense.

What were they supposed to do?

But somehow, more than anything, Lorraine was genuinely amazed by what she was seeing. {_Whoa...those horns...those eyes...that face..._}

This creature seemed to be different from any that Strong had seen, and he took notice.

For one, the creature's hide was an obsidian-black in color. That, and it had many more spikes jutting out of nearly every point on it's body, more than Strong had ever seen before on any individual of this particular species.

He had also been aware that many of these beasts were usually blind, signified by completely blank eyes, but this creature had blood-red sclera, and platinum-white irides? Not only that, it was looking each of them over, especially Dogmeat and Lorraine. Obviously, the creature had better eye sight then it's brethren.

"Human." Strong began to carefully step forward, alert and cautious of the fact that the creature was only there on it's side, watching them and breathing evenly. "We leave. Now. Not prepared to fight new enemy."

Codsworth also began to approach, keeping the saw at the ready. "Yes Mum...we just aren't prepared to fight our new host the way we are now."

The woman could take the suspense no longer, so she asked the question. "Guys...what am I looking at...what is that thing?"

Strong hardened his expression. "That, Human..."

"...Is a Deathclaw, mum." Codsworth finished for him.

Once again, Dogmeat whined when she heard the word, but she was brave enough to stand between the resting beast and the thoroughly injured Lorraine.

Unfortunately, she only managed a weak bark in her attempt to ward off any attempts the creature might have in doing them harm.

But the beast did nothing. It did nothing, other then incline it's head forward and breath loudly, as what sounded like a pained groan managed to escape it.

**_"Hhhhhhhaaaaaaa..."_**

Perhaps it was just her being insane, or perhaps it was her maternal instincts, the ones she was also starting to obey when it came to Dogmeat, maybe even the fact that having hit her head had seriously jumbled her brain, or all of those combined, but when Lorraine recognized the sound of pain coming from the creature, she started to force herself to get up.

"Good Human. Prove to Strong your strength."

She started to feel around, and yes, she felt her satchel. "Dogmeat..." She whimpered as she bit back an aggravated yell. It seemed her ribs were badly damaged. But nonetheless, Dogmeat stepped down and came to her, wondering what she was doing. "...Will you come with me?" The pup tilted her head as she whined, not exactly understanding. Lorraine locked eyes tiredly with the beast resting inside the destroyed remains of the very building they had been inside of not even fifteen minutes ago, and began crawling towards it.

"MUM! What are you doing?!"

"Strong know you are tough Human, but you just snack for Deathclaw!"

"Shhhhh...relax guys...can't you see? He's hurt. Look at his leg."

Both individuals had been so focused on the beast's gaze, and because it was also hunched over, they didn't see the _massive_ gashes in the beast's musculure leg.

The beast gave a low hum, though no one could tell what it meant. **_"Hhhhhhhhh..."_**

Regardless, Lorraine kept her eyes on the creature and continued onward.

For the next few seconds, it was deathly quiet as Dogmeat bravely accompanied her new master as she crawled _towards_ death itself...and the entire time, death watched her silently.

It watched her as she came near arms length away from it.

"Hey big guy...feeling under the weather too?"

The beast looked straight at her.

"Strong..." Codsworth whispered. The mutant brought his ears closer. "It would appear that in her damaged state, Mum has lost some of her normal cognitive functions...but also, because she is so damaged, the Deathclaw doesn't see her as a threat. We may have a chance to retrieve her before it decides to consume her."

Lorraine was in her own world though, her eyes hazy because of the trauma she received to her head...and Dogmeat was doing her best not to aggravate the beast. "Hey...your leg looks kinda rough, let me help..."

Whether the beast understood anything she just said or not was anyone's guess, but it still had yet to attack. It seemed it was observing her actions for some reason, apparent or not.

Perhaps it was smarter than it let on.

"...M'kay...some of this...and this..."

She took a few items and extended her hand. The beast suddenly recoiled, albeit slightly, but when she just looked up at him in that confused haze, the beast's eyes narrowed, yet he allowed her to touch him.

"HEY! YOU GUYS ALRIGHT?!"

Strong and Codsworth looked back to see the man they helped coming down the side of the sinkhole, a pipe revolver at his side. "I can't thank you guys enough for coming around, I was just barely gonna come to Green-Top to trade some stuff and then...and then..." As he made it down safely and looked at the two, he then immediately noticed their silence, and what seemed like an impossibility.

"Wha...what the hell?" He suddenly whispered, pointing, but immediately flinching when the beast from only 40 feet away, turned it's head to look at him.

"Human is strong. Human can command Deathclaw."

"Let's not blow this out of proportion Strong. We know that the creature is wounded, and the madame is even more damaged than the creature itself. I'm more inclined to believe that it hasn't attacked her for two logical reasons: It already had a meal, and it knows that mum just doesn't pose a threat to it in her damaged state. She doesn't even have her weapons...we do, although I am not suggesting the beast even recognizes such a fact." He remarked, pointing to the two weapons that Strong had picked up for Lorraine, which were now hanging on his shoulder.

"Uh...well anyways guys...so what now?"

Lorraine didn't seem to even know they were conversing, as in her delusional state, she was quietly cleaning off the blood, getting some of it on her pip-boy, but she either didn't notice or care. "Alright...don't think this'll help that much but it's worth a shot..." She took out some gauze and had to crane her head all the way up just to look at the beast, as if she would somehow get approval to keep on with the medical treatment, taking out a stimpak as she did so.

And of course the beast continued to just look at her, breathing and humming calmly, but also with pained grunts.

"This is gonna hurt big guy...don't tear me up when you feel it, okay? Haha..." She turned the stimpak over and put emphasize on the needle, trying to get him to understand.

There was no response, other then the beast actually looking at the stimpak and merely doing what it could to even it's breathing.

Dogmeat was still on edge. 'whine'

Knowing that the creature probably didn't understand a damn thing she was saying, she just silently went for it, and placed her small hand next to the massive gashes on it's leg. "Three...two...one."

She quickly jammed the stimpak into the tender wound.

And that was the second time she got one of the most terrifying scares of her life.

**_"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_**

Time seemed to slow as the other three tensed and readied for combat. The Obsidian Deathclaw dug it's claws into the walls of the building, roaring out to the heavens as it once more had to deal with an agonizing pain in it's wounded leg. It tore through the frail materials of everything around it, twisting and turning its torso as it continued to howl.

Lorraine closed her eyes and sat there frozen, waiting for the inevitable. She was certain that the beast's roar had been heard for miles.

Luckily anyone that heard wasn't in her spot right now, _at point blank range_.

Then it all slowed down, and the woman had a feeling why that was.

She slowly began to open her eyes, and what she saw was hard to understand.

**_"NNNNnnnnnn...mmmmmmm..."_**

The beast was now resting on one of its elbows, looking at her in the same way it had been before...only...less angry?

"Uh...I take it you can feel the healing process?" She offered slowly, her senses starting to come back to her. The beast continued to breath calmly once again, having an easier time than before. "...I'll take that as a yes...now...if you'll just let me finish up here..." As the beast continued to look at her, now seeing her in a much different way than it had before, she got the gauze and slowly started to wrap the beast's leg.

The other three continued to watch silently.

"And...there...isn't that better?" She chuckled to herself, a little nervously but either way she felt good about it, inspecting her work and the beast itself.

"Mum! Perhaps we should go now!"

Strong began walking towards them, to which the creature took notice, but did nothing.

"Human...you something else. None have been known to tame Deathclaw." He walked straight up to them, recognizing the beast as something even larger and stronger than himself, but he showed no fear, not anymore. If this small human could stand up to the Alpha-Predator of the wastes, then he too would follow in her footsteps. "Strong appreciate you not eating Human, Deathclaw. Strong need Human to help Strong find Milk Of Human kindness."

Dogmeat finally walked closer and started to nuzzle Lorraine, being able to see that the creature before them was no longer hostile, if it even had been at all. Said beast merely kept it's eyes locked with Strong for a few seconds before snorting.

**_"Hmff." _**

Strong seemed to recognize that it wasn't going to attack also, so he turned down to his leader. "Human. Time to go. Climb on back. Human wounded."

"Haha, that's okay...nothing some bandaging and sleep can't fix...but yeah, help me up." Lorraine extended her hand. Strong turned around and got on one knee, bringing one hand back so he could help her get on. "There..." He slowly got her on until she was hanging on. "Time to go. Deathclaw..." He turned around so now he and his leader were looking the beast in the eyes once again, both of them acutely aware of the fact that the beast was still much larger than both of them combined, even though it was sitting. "Strong remember act of kindness. In future, Strong give you Milk of Human Kindness as act of thanks. May Deathclaw have good fights in future."

And with that, Strong turned around and started to walk, confident that the beast would not attack him from behind.

"Good heavens mum, would it be remiss to say that you could perhaps be _certifiably insane?_ Goodness, I'm so glad you are unharmed! Well, not harmed from your new medical patient! We must still tend to the wounds from your fall! Please! Give us your symptoms!" Codsworth seemed to have just avoided a panic attack, but that didn't stop him from trailing hastily after Strong as they took their leave.

Just before he was out of sight however, Lorraine turned her head to look at the Obsidian Deathclaw once again, more out of curiosity than anything.

And the beast sat there, observing both her and the others as it absentmindedly dug it's claws through the dirt.

She blinked once, twice, before softly chuckling and closing her eyes, letting her exhaustion take over.

"Mainly Codsworth...just my ribs..."

And with that, she succumbed to exhaustion.

OOO

**_Some Time later..._**

At first, all that was heard was the steady sound of fire outside, and a few grunts, familiar heavy ones. "Kuh, useless robot. Not even know how to make campfire."

"If you hadn't noticed my good _chum_, I am equipped with a personal flamethrower. As I recall, we agreed that it would be _you_ who would get the fire going while _I_ took care of the madame's meal! Also, technically you aren't making a campfire. We're in the vicinity of your new home. _Our_ home. Can't call it a campfire now. Best remember to give the madame your thanks when she wakes up."

It was now early morning.

The day after all the crazy shit that happened.

That meant it was nice and cool. Neither of the two really needed sleep, definitely not Codsworth, so he was the one to keep an eye out the whole night, as he himself stated he would from now on. "Hmph. Strong acknowledge Human's strength. Is good enough."

"Tch...ruffian."

After the whole fiasco that happened yesterday, several things were accounted for. For one, the settler that was luckily saved offered Strong and Codsworth a bit of food and a stimpak for Lorraine's use. He would be the one to deliver the shot to her in her slumbering state, and it would be Codsworth that wrapped up all the wounds on her person, from there they parted ways, and Codsworth led the whole way back home.

Once they made it to Sanctuary Hills, Codsworth led Strong to Lorraine's house and instructed him to place her on the newly made bed.

From there, the whole night was nice and quiet, minus the witty banter that Strong and Codsworth exchanged, leaving Dogmeat to her own devices after being fed.

"Strong have question." The large mutant decided to change the subject, having had a few thoughts on his mind for a while. "Alright, what would that be?" The robot continued to stir the contents of the pot, making sure to follow all the steps of the recipe to a T, even the temperature of the contents. At first, Strong looked around at the environment, taking it all in once more. "How long Human and Robot live here? Place feels...safe, no walls, but far away from all enemies. But Strong notice that human is...clean. No radiation. Only some scars and a few burns. Strong remember Robot say how things different in 'Human's and Robot's day.' What Robot mean?"

A calming breeze swept through Sanctuary Hills, the Super Mutant sitting down on his makeshift steel chair.

Codsworth quietly tapped the pot as he thought it over. In reality, telling Strong may or may not endanger Lorraine in the future. He wasn't sure how, but that was what he simply felt. But, since Strong actually made the effort to understand her and Codsworth himself, the Robot felt compelled to give him the full story. "Mum and I are much older than we look, Mister Strong." Once again, he began to stir the contents in the pot. "I and the madame, as well as her family were here before everything you know today even existed Strong. In other words, we are both over two hundred years old."

The super mutant huffed. "How Human still alive then? Human can't live that long."

"Mum was frozen in time, Mister Strong. That suit that she was wearing is made by a company known as Vault-Tec. I know nothing about that company other than the fact that they offered underground shelter for qualified individuals, shelter from nuclear warfare. It was the nuclear bombs that turned the world into what it is today. The vault that Mum went to is just over yonder. Unfortunately...the Sir and young Shaun were taken away at some point...if it pains me so greatly, I do not know how the madame is taking it."

Strong took a few seconds to ponder this new bit of info over.

"So Human just now adapting to new world?"

"Correct. That's an even bigger reason for me to serve her needs, because as we both know, now with radiation everywhere, Mum will need all she can take to avoid sickness, disease, and of course, she'll need me to be purifying her water. Much is different now than it was two-hundred years ago, and I believe accompanying mum will help her adapt far better."

The Super mutant seemed to understand.

It grew silent as time started to go by. Codsworth continued tending to the pot, making sure each and every last ingredient would cook to perfection. Every so often, Strong would add more wood to the fire, surprisingly cooperative when Codsworth would instruct how much to place in the fire. Not that far away, Dogmeat could be seen playing with various toys and stuffed animals that she had apparently found.

"Morning..."

The two perked up at the familiar voice, turning to see Lorraine walking out of her house, clad in compression shorts and all that gauze covering her torso. She yawned, stretching but also covering her mouth as she did so. "How long was I out...?" She looked between the two tiredly, taking a seat in one of the chairs she brought out from the house. "Good morning of course Mum! And as for your question, you've been soundly asleep since yesterday when you fell into unconsciousness. That gentlemen that had been attacked by the Yao Guai offered us a stimpak for you. Of course after he left I made sure to ask Strong to look away as I wrapped all of your wounds, madame. My apologies for having to disrobe you to do so."

"Not a problem Codsworth, I'm just glad a lot of my old clothes are still intact. The basement didn't really get damaged at all, so that's good." She laughed lightly, rubbing her arms and legs. "Brr, kinda chilly out here."

"Well madame there are of course a few blankets downstairs, perhaps you'd like one?"

"Maybe later Codsworth, I'm actually used to this kind of chill. Also I really don't want to get any of my old things dirty. We still need to find a way to build something we can use to launder all of my old things. There's a good amount of stuff in there that hasn't been tampered with thanks to the lock mechanism we had installed into there. You were very considerate to keep it hidden by burying the entrance with old stuff. Thanks again for that old friend."

Strong titled his head when Codsworth apparently started to sniffle.

"Oh...yes mum! Hhhh, I do so very much feel alive every time I hear your appreciation for me and for what I do to try and serve you!"

The woman chuckled. "Of course Codsworth. Now. It's been almost twenty-four hours since you told me I needed some form of nourishment, and I'm gonna tell you right now, I'm _hungryyyyyyy..._" It was quite clear that food was all that was on her mind at the moment. "Ha-ha! An astute observation mum! It just so happens that the meal is now ready. Brahmin Stew: carrots, a few onions, sliced mutfruit, and of course chunks of brahmin all cooked to perfection in purified broth! I even made sure to sear the brahmin meat on this flat iron here before adding it at the very end of the cooking process! Have some mum! The dishes and silverware are right behind you on that small table next to the window."

"Ten-Four on that..."

"By the way mum, I've been listening to my internal radio. There are several things you may wish to listen to. Shall I retrieve your pip-boy?"

Since the Sole Survivor hadn't been paying much attention to the radio, she didn't know of what was going on in the news, and apparently Codsworth had been keeping tabs on everything.

"Alright. Where are you hearing it from?" She didn't think it would be that interesting, considering that the world of today was a bit...different. In that regard, she felt that news today was practically nothing, because really, where there any wars anymore? Were the Olympics still taking place? Was ANY kind of sport known throughout the world still being played? Was there some grand meeting of two world leaders happening?

"Diamond City Radio Mum!"

Author's Note: So, there you have it.

For this story in particular, I very much see it as writing a DLC if you will. Like, what if someone were to make an actual film that revolves around Fallout 4?

I think doing something like DLC would be the best way to go. We know the story already. We know what happens. But what if we are placed in a scenario that is familiar, but new elements are introduced? Would be cool if someone was to do that, and then Bethesda actually make DLC off of it and give it to us players.

So, what's the 'DLC' here?

The Obsidian Deathclaw, and the elements that got him here.

Now tell me, how was your very first experience encountering a Deathclaw in any of the fallout games? Probably terrifying, right?

I love their concept and how their lore affects the Fallout universe.

So now, I wanted to do something interesting. The real kicker actually comes from a bug that would happen in Fallout 4. The area, 'Old Gullet Sinkhole' which was addressed by Codsworth in this fiction, is actually in the game.

There is indeed a Deathclaw in that area.

However, for some reason, the game would bug, and the first time I ever went in there, I was looting the military crate that's there. Imagine how I reacted when I started hearing heavy breathing. When I finally turned around, there it was, standing in a spot that hid it from view of anyone looking down into the area. But it wouldn't attack me, even when I walked straight up to the guy.

Nope, I didn't even think of attacking.

You can actually google this, 'Friendly Deathclaw fallout 4,' and you'll find articles on the matter.

For me, this bug was an inspiration. The Alpha Predator of Fallout deserves the respect it has, but there is hardly ANYTHING whether it be actual gameplay or fan works that involve them, so I decided to make a story that would incorporate them, more specifically, one special Deathclaw.

You've only just met him. Later down the road, you'll see that he's more important than the characters give him credit for.

So, that's my idea. That's my 'what-if DLC' type of thing. A story that intertwines the fates of our character and a special alpha predator. I don't know how long this story will last, but I wanted to do this.

Tell me what you think, try to take guesses as to what will happen. I hope to hear from you all, and hey, if you aren't someone signed up on Fanfiction, you can still leave an anonymous review if you really have something you'd like to tell me.

Thank you all, see you next time.


	2. The Family

Author's Note: Well, didn't think I'd have another chapter out this soon but here it is. I'm going to try to get the pacing a little better and try to improve my writing style.

In this chapter we will focus on the main characters of this story. I understand how fanfiction works nowadays. I believe a huge number of people who visit the sight automatically want to see the relationships between couples and whatnot in any works that they like. Given that, people probably don't click on this because they're expecting couples in the summary or something before they bother to click.

I have something different planned for this story and I believe I made that intention clear in the last chapter.

It's not to say that it wouldn't be possible for some sort of romance to happen in the story, but it's not likely.

The story here will revolve around a female character and the Obsidian Deathclaw. Lorraine is not much different in appearance from the starting character of Fallout 4. If I figure out how to do it I'll end up linking a picture of her on my profile page.

You can either be the male, Nate, or you can be the female, Nora.

Let me be clear on this. I'm a man, but I always choose to be Nora. Why? Because I hardly play enough video games with female main characters. Quite frankly, I would rather have had both Nate and Nora stay alive and hence, allow the story to be more unique. Unfortunately, you can only choose one. The other has to die.

I have to let Nora live because I know that as a person, if I were in that situation, I would rather want Nora to live.

This also makes it difficult to write a good genuine romance story with her. Sure I can make her look however I want, but frankly, I don't see any of the male characters as compatible with her. Being a man of course, I can't really put myself in her shoes. All I can do is help her make her choices. Obviously there's at least one or two female characters in the game that I would ever bother to romance, but hey, I'm not gay or a woman, so I wouldn't understand how to pair Nora with either of those women.

I wouldn't of course, because that's not why I play, and plus, it's quite obvious that Nora isn't gay either. Why make her gay just because I'm a straight man playing a female character? That's not fair. That's just creepy.

So if you're wanting some smut, it's not gonna happen unless it's actually convenient in some way, like a bar scene or something, but if you're lucky, you might get some playful spanking.

Still, that's not very likely.

One more thing...when you start reading this, I would recommend you listen to one of the main soundtracks in Fallout 4, and here it is.

Go to youtube and type this in: Fallout 4 OST - Rebuild, Renew

It's about six minutes long.

One of the things I found out about reading a fanfiction is that a lot of times, you have to immerse yourself. A lot of us writers on the sight just aren't good enough to immerse our viewers, and I am no different, but you know what? Taking something from the derived works and using it while you read is such a great help.

Trust me. Listen to this soundtrack while you read this chapter, I tried it myself and I couldn't believe how well it worked.

Remember. Immerse yourself. Drop everything else and put yourself in the world you're reading about. Headphones help out a lot.

Anyways, here we are. Next chapter will focus on events and narratives derived from this chapter.

Fallout 4

The Fallen Nation

Chapter Two

The Family

**_Thursday, 8:13 in the morning...Valentine Agency, Diamond City..._**

...

...

...

...

...

...

People have always talked about good old fashioned police work.

It's not old fashioned, it's just police work.

It's the methodical pursuit.

{_I guess if that's old fashioned, then that's what I am..._}

It wasn't uncommon these days for people to go missing. No matter what the circumstance in the commonwealth, people always seemed to go missing. It was to such a degree that even the people in Diamond City did not feel safe. Although, it was overshadowed by the fact that the people never did anything about it, except for one.

A door was opened.

"Morning Nick, whatcha got there?" A woman stepped through, her eyes immediately landing on the building's occupant.

"..."

Fortunately for Diamond City, amidst the pretenders and blowhards, there was one person any and every resident there could count on.

"Another kidnapping...go figure. Got a couple that says their daughter was taken by Skinny Malone's boys...What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"..."

If there was one thing Nick knew he could say about his secretary with absolute certainty, it was that she was a bit protective of him. In other words she worried about him. "Woke up early. Thought I'd get a head start."

Nick wasn't buying the explanation. "Ellie, your shift doesn't start until ten. I'm a big boy, I can tie my own shoes. This is the fourth time this month you've done this." The man turned to look at her, and it was immediately apparent that this 'man' was not a human at all. Rather, he seemed to be some sort of cyborg. "You need your rest and you know that." He wasn't really angry, just concerned.

That was one of the things that the people admired about Nick. For a robot, he sure seemed to be as much a person as anyone else.

Ellie fixed her hair as she started getting her things ready for the day. "Sometimes I can't rest and need to be doing things. Can't blame me for that."

At that, Nick had to agree. "Well I guess you're right. Hey but um, before you do anything, if I give you some caps can you get me some ammo from Arturo? I'm running a little low." The cyborg hadn't had a dangerous mission for a while, but he still hadn't taken stock since then. It would do well to prepare himself just in case. {_Can't say Skinny would actually want to hurt me, but it's better to be safe than sorry._}

Ellie finished setting up her small office. "Sure thing Nick."

"..."

As soon as the door closed behind Ellie, Nick turned to look at the actual papers he had been working on.

"..."

It was apparent that anyone who met Nick often wondered what his story was. It was a question he had even asked himself. It would not be long until he started searching for the answers, and over time, he began to find pieces.

"The Memoirs of Detective Nick Valentine..."

One of the things that Nick appreciated about his robotic state was that his face could not show emotion. He was obviously some sort of robot built to look human, but due to all the damage his body sustained, he chose to wear the fedora and trench-coat that currently was on his person. Wouldn't do well to be walking around as a naked, torn up robot that resembled a human.

Due to this, it helped his need to keep a good poker face, as was per the requirement of any good detective. But sometimes, it was also good even when off the clock.

There were times like now when it was necessary to him. The current subject he was going over was always a powerful one that he had to endure every single time he went through it.

There was once a man named Nick Valentine that lived in Chicago before the bombs fell. As luck would have it, he too was a detective. The man had a good life, good job, good house, good car, he even had a fiancee. Unfortunately, life threw a hardball at Nick and he could not catch it.

"..."

Tragedy struck, and both time and injustice took everything away from the man.

Now, Nick faced a certain reality every day that no one else in the commonwealth, perhaps even the whole world could say they had to endure.

Who was Nick Valentine and what did he stand for? What does he stand for today?

"..."

Was Nick a man who lived two centuries ago? Or was he an identity created for a robot?

"..."

Was it even possible that perhaps, Nick was still here with us?

"...If I ever see you again Winter...you're going to answer for everything you put us through."

OOO

**_Combat Zone..._**

...

...

...

Over time, humanity has done what it can to recover from the war, there have been many things that have divided the people. As was anyone's first and foremost goal, it was to survive. Unfortunately, the act of surviving was very different in the minds of countless people.

As in the old days of the west, where people became bandits and hooligans to get by, after the war, many people went back to the old barbaric system. This time around, these folks were now known as Raiders. Why try to live a normal life and work an honest job, when you could just point a gun at other people and take their stuff?

Not the most honorable of ways to adapt to a new world, but then, a lot of people lost hope after seeing what sorts of dangers and anomalies that now inhabited Mother Earth. In their eyes, killing to survive was justified because that's how everything else in the world was doing it. Bearing that mentality, it's no surprise that when it came to 'entertainment,' their idea of the concept was just as barbaric.

Cue the cage fights.

POW

"Agh, shit, dammit that hurt! You fight good for a brat!"

"You can kiss my ass after I win this fight old man."

The audience rallied. In the massive cage was an older raider and a young woman who had a smirk on her face.

"Come on Brampton get that little shit!" One of the man's partners was waiting for him to put his adversary down for the count.

"Well look at that folks, looks like Cait may have this one in the bag. Can anyone beat the reigning champion?"

Following the announcers words, Brampton attacked, but Cait was waiting for it. Timing it just right, she caught his arm and flipped him onto the floor, and without giving him a chance to get up, she got on top and got him in a headlock.

"Say uncle. Say it!" She refused to let go, and her years of experience gave her the edge she needed.

Brampton was beginning to have trouble breathing, and it didn't take long before he tapped out.

The announcer called it. "And there you have it folks! Another win for Cait!"

The crowd's reaction was mixed, but Cait let the old raider go and he took his leave.

"Alright folks, we have an hour break, get yourself some grub or whatever and we'll be back with the next matches."

"..."

Cait waited in her spot, catching her breath and stretching. "You need to be a little more careful Cait." The announcer walked up to her with a container of water. It was apparent when he stepped into the light that he was not an ordinary human. His face seemed to be irradiated and burned. The woman rolled her eyes and took the water from him. "I got you your money, what more do yah want Tommy? You're not my dear old father now are yah?"

Tommy, sighing in irritation, crossed his arms. "You're damn right I'm not. But that don't mean I can't give my employee some advice. You're getting reckless and you need to cut that shit out. You ain't gonna last much longer if you keep this up."

The woman began to chug the water that was given to her, but she had an answer for him. "Listen Tommy, I only do this shit for you to get my moneys-worth and my high. Ain't nothing else to it." She sealed the bottle and continued her tirade. "You don't know me. Nobody in this nasty shit-hole knows me. Quit acting like you're my friend because you're not. Ain't nothing worth living for nowadays. You keep giving me the goods and I keep getting you your money. That's how how our contract works. You're the guy who made it so stick with it."

"..."

Shaking his head, the man walked away.

As soon as he was out of sight, Cait used the small chair inside the cage to sit down.

"..."

And she was right. No one knew her story, and the fact was, anyone who knew her didn't even _want_ to know her story. But that was something she learned a long time ago. People were fake. Everyone was fake, so fuck them. Both her and Tommy were merely business partners, nothing more. There was no mutual connection, there was nothing deep.

She could see some truth to his words, but she didn't care. She knew what she had gotten herself into. She didn't need some jerk telling her this or that about her when he didn't even care about her well-being. He was just looking to make sure he didn't lose his source of income, just like everyone else.

She saw the world for what it was, not for what people pretended it to be. She adapted quick.

{_Forget it._}

She made the mistake of letting others in far too many times, and she put a stop to it a long time ago. This was her life now. The world did not care if she lived or died, and neither did anyone else in the world.

"..."

She was someone who got rid of her weaknesses and used her strengths to beat down anyone and everyone that got in her way or tried to use her.

She didn't need to waste her time on anybody else.

{_I'm number one and that's all that matters._}

OOO

**_Publick Occurrences...Diamond City..._**

"Hey Nat, you got the sharpener?"

"Yeah, gimme a sec."

"..."

In the current day and age, people just did what they could to survive. They didn't care about what was happening beyond their front door.

However, the old fire of journalism was slowly beginning to come back to the world, and in Diamond City, a young woman had taken up the career unto herself.

It was not uncommon for people to just ignore the bad things that happened to others. While yes, life was harsh, in this woman's eyes, harsh reality was not an excuse to just ignore the plight of others.

Finding the truth and letting the world about it was just as important as knowing how to survive in it. If people didn't care about each other, how would the human race survive?

"How long are you gonna be gone today sis?" Nat walked up to her big sister and gave her the sharpener.

"I'll probably be back in the afternoon or something. I got a lot of ground to cover. Make sure to eat good today, there's some caps in my bottom drawer for you. Anyone tries anything weird with you, you either come home and lock up, go to the guards, or you go to the spot, hear me?"

The woman wrote her name as she finished the article. {_'Is Mayor McDonough a Synth, by Piper Wright.'_} She had a small smirk on her face. "I think the old fart's not gonna like this article, so better to be safe then sorry, okay?"

"Yeah, I got you sis."

"Good. Gimme kisses."

The woman gave her younger sister kisses all over her cheek and forehead. "Make sure to sell as many copies as you can. I'll be back before you know it."

Piper didn't like leaving her sister by herself every time that news was about, but Piper knew it was way too risky to take her outside the city.

"Mkay, stay safe and you better come back okay?"

Of course, that didn't stop Nat from worrying every time her sister left the city.

The woman stuck out her tongue. "I got this squirt. I heard some pretty interesting stuff from a guy yesterday. I wanna make sure he was telling me the truth, so now I gotta see if I can verify his story. You be safe too. I'll see you at dinner time."

With that, the woman walked outside.

To her surprise, she saw one Nick Valentine walking right by her home.

"Morning Piper. How you doing today?"

The woman couldn't help but smile. "Morning Detective, I think it's great I ran into you." She had this look on her face that Nick knew all too well. "What kind of story are you chasing this time?" He wasn't exactly on a time limit with his current case, so he grew a little interest. "Several days ago one of my customers said he saw a gunfight happening at Trinity Tower."

Nick lit up a cigarette. "Yeah, place is inhabited by a group of Super Mutants. What about it?"

Piper smirked. "The guy said there was a distress signal coming from the tower, by one Rex Goodman." Once she uttered the name, she knew she had Nick's interest. "What the hell was Rex doing this far out? WRVR station can't exactly work without him. He's one of the actors there."

"_Exactly._ So the guy tells me that he was gonna check it out when he heard Rex's distress call on his radio. Turns out someone else was already there and was killing mutants left and right. He sits there for a while, and then the distress signal goes away. Right after that, he sees something on the side of the building, one of those elevator things. He waits a little longer and eventually he sees something _very _interesting." Nick could tell by the look on her face that she loved telling her stories. "Eventually he sees Rex come out of the building, but he notices something very strange. He says a woman in a vault suit comes out, apparently with a working Mr Handy, and get this, _a super mutant_ comes out with them. They talk some things over, Rex leaves, and then the mutant goes with that lady and her robot."

Nick took a puff. Piper always had a reason for why she chased stories, and while this story didn't seem like much other than a rescue mission, he had a feeling that Piper saw more than just the surface. "So why do you think this is enough for the headlines? Is it the apparently friendly super mutant?"

Piper smirked again. "That's a big reason, yeah, but I have a bigger one. Think about it this way Nick, when was the last time you ever heard of anyone being rescued by anyone other than yourself?"

Once she asked the question, Nick immediately understood. It was because this _was_ a rescue mission that Piper had all the reason to chase the story. "...Lately you've been trying to let the people know of all the bad stuff happening around the commonwealth, especially about people being kidnapped. You know that no one ever does anything about it, even when it kills them inside because they know they just lost a loved one. You want to find out who this person is because she did something that almost nobody else does. She committed a selfless act and actually got the job done."

Some of the guards and passing people were discreetly listening to the pairs conversation.

Piper gave a genuine smile. "...Exactly. Nick, after living through hell, we're starting to see a change in the commonwealth. People always give up when life gets hard and takes things away from us, but if I can find out who this lady is and hear what she has to say, I'm willing to bet she has a message that'll really resonate with the people. But I have to talk to Rex first and see what he has to say. I need to verify all of this before I can try tracking her down."

"Is that why you're glad that I happened to show up at the right time?" He knew the answer to his question when he saw the look on Piper's face. "Yeah. If you're not busy, wanna come with? Rex is really far away. I could use some back up."

Nick finished his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. "Count me in kid."

OOO

**_Unmarked location..._**

"..."

"..."

"..."

Time is vital to any living organism.

One must wonder then, what the effects of time would have on an intelligent automaton, something not alive, but still self-aware and able to perceive the world around itself.

The computers in the room were still functioning, as they had been for an untold amount of time. Most of the occupants of the facility had long since passed away, except for one glaring exception. "...Thursday, August 14th, 2287. Vault-Tec Security has yet to come relieve me of my duties. As in my last recording, it has been eighty-three years since I finished the serum. I am employee designated as 'Contagious Vulnerability Robotic Infirmary Engineer, or Curie for short.'"

A decidedly feminine voice came from the Miss Nanny automaton. It seemed she was recording herself. "But perhaps they are dealing with other affairs. I understand that my work is not the most important to others. But I eagerly await the opportunity to explore the world and continue my research."

It seemed time was being unkind to this particular individual.

It raised the question: how does a sentient robot perceive the world around it? More importantly, how does sheer and utter isolation affect one that has been trapped for nearly a century?

"..."

Curie hovered over to the only window in the room and peered outside. All she could see were many mole rats scurrying around the area. "Subjects are still infected with experimental strain. As previously stated, the antidote has been ready for eight decades. When I am relieved from duty, it will be ready to be administered to any individual affected by the virus."

None could discern her thoughts as she watched the mole rats.

But perhaps, one could theorize. As was obvious, they were free to wander the rest of the vault that she inhabited, while she herself was stuck in decidedly the smallest room in the entire structure. In this area, there was no day and night cycle. In this area, everything was constant. Nothing changed. Nothing new ever occurred, and nothing had done so for almost a century. The lights remained the same. All electronics in the small room acted the exact same way.

Curie could not sleep. Curie had never once seen a day and night cycle in all her active duty. Curie did not have a way to simply 'pass the time.' All she could do was go back over the old logs from the scientists who had long since passed away. Over and over and over again, all she could do was contemplate the strange manner in which her own programming reacted to each and every circumstance she had gone through.

"..."

The question comes back to mind: How does an automaton handle the great expanse of time? More specifically, how does a _sentient_ automaton handle absolute solitude?

"..."

The question remains, but perhaps, we may have the answer in time.

"August 14th, 2287. This has been another transcript from the last employee of the Vault 81 Experiment. My name is Curie. Ending transmission."

OOO

...

...

...

...

...

...

**_"...nnnnnn...ffffff..."_**

The creatures of the commonwealth have always acted like normal animals, if not more ferocious. Nearly all forms of life since the bombs fell have always been in some form of pack system, whether it be radscorpions, the mirelurks, bloodbugs, the list goes on.

Even the Alpha Predators of the wastes had some sort of group system.

There were some exceptions, such as this one.

**_"...hhhhhh...ffff..."_**

It was not uncommon for there to be the lone-wolf type when it came to this species, but it was not known how long they would last without family or pack members. As a matter of fact, hardly anyone knew how Deathclaws in general actually lived.

So, the question remained as to how a lone-wolf would react when it came into contact with a pack that it was not familiar with.

Standing some distance away from the Obsidian Deathclaw, there were two other members of it's kind.

_"...nnnnn..."_

_"...fffff..."_

They appeared to be observing him. He had caught their scent long ago, and it became obvious to himself that they had caught his scent as well. Naturally, they came to investigate. It is not known if the Deathclaw population cannibalized each other, but if these two were looking to do that to the Obsidian beast, they didn't try.

Perhaps his massive size was the deciding factor that made them only observe him.

**_"...mmmmmmm...mfff..."_**

The beast spared a glance at the gauze wrapped around it's leg. It had finally healed enough for him to venture out and get himself a meal. Perhaps the blood of the deceased Yao Guai he was feasting on was what caught the attention of these other two youngsters. They were both a dull brown in color, and despite their age, they had grown quickly. If their intention was to take the elder beast's meal, then the only problem was, as stated, was his size.

He was much larger than the average member of the species, that included adults. Even if the whelps were at full size, their Obsidian cousin was much too large for the two of them to take on. The fact that he looked more menacing then their mother didn't help things. It also would not be the first time the beast had had to deal with other members of his kind trying to take his meal from him.

He knew how to handle himself. He had been very patient. It was a pain having to wait for his leg to heal just so he could finally get a meal, so if these brats thought they would be able to take what he rightfully earned on his own, then he would quickly change their opinion. He was hungry and damn it he was already starving at this point.

He couldn't wait anymore, and took a chunk out of the still warm flesh.

**_Chomp_**

**_"...nnnn...fffff..."_ **How wonderful it was to finally have a meal after so long. The little human that tended to his wound had done a good job. His injury healed faster than normal, and because of that, he could finally go about his daily routine.

That's why it was annoying when one of the whelps made a call for help.

_"RAAAAAA!"_

The creature continued to munch on his meal as he waited. At least he had _gotten_ a meal before others came into the picture. Usually he was thwarted first and _then_ had to go get his lunch.

It didn't take long before the sounds of a much older member of the pride neared the sinkhole.

_"...roooooooo..."_

A decidedly more vicious looking beast came into view, it's horns more wild than that of the whelps. It was a dark red in color, looking like a demon more than natural animal. For all intent and purposes, it was a much more savage looking creature.

Not many people saw Deathclaws at all really, so it was safe to say that almost no one had seen two factions within the species interact with each other. The question now was: what was going to happen?

Once the older member of the family made it to her children, she studied the other member of the species that was enjoying it's meal.

_"..."_

**_"...nnnnn..."_**

**_Chomp_**

Obviously, he didn't seem to care about the three of them, and even if he were bothered by them, he was too engrossed in his meal to care at the moment.

But perhaps he should care.

The whelps started to move in their respective directions, while their parent began to move straight for him and began to growl.

The obsidian beast was in no mood for games, and he decided to put his adversaries to the test. Not even bothering to stand up, he finished the food in his mouth and gave them a piece of his mind.

**_"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"_**

Birds within the immediate area quickly scattered, mole rats, radstags, and especially the traveling merchant that was not too far away from the sinkhole panicked and quickly ran off.

The gentlemen at Green-Top Nursery stopped what they were doing and turned to the direction of the sinkhole.

"...Wanna go inside? Let's go inside."

"Yeah, let's do that..."

In his spot, the Obsidian Deathclaw watched the reaction of the other three.

Needless to stay, they stopped coming towards him.

The elder one had even taken a step back.

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"...ffff..."_

She seemed to come to a conclusion and turned around, beginning to walk away. Years of experience taught the mother when and how to act in many situations, and right now, she decided that fighting for a meal that wasn't even enough for all of them was not worth it.

There was just something different about her obsidian cousin, and she wasn't curious enough to find out what that was.

With the strongest of the pack backing down, the whelps, backed down as well.

With nothing else to do in the area, the small pack left.

And so, the owner of the deceased Yao Guai could now feast in peace.

So he did.

**_Chomp_**

**_Chomp_**

**_Chomp_**

After days of being resigned to the sinkhole, the beast finally had some real nourishment.

As he ate, the beast's thoughts drifted back to the little human that had helped him.

**_"..."_**

The creature knew how humans could be. He'd dealt with plenty of them over the years. She certainly surprised him, that was for sure. But then, all humans were exceptionally weird. The big green ones were just stupid and annoying. Well, maybe not the one that was with the human. At least the green one didn't try hitting him with one of those metal sticks that they had.

Strange indeed. Then again, the energy they gave off was different to the way others were. They had no intention of fighting him at the time and he knew it.

If they had, well, best not to think of the what-if part.

**_Chomp_**

But in the entire ordeal, he identified and memorized her scent, especially her blood.

The creature would know of her coming the next time she came around. Circumstances would be different.

He would be ready.

OOO

**_Sanctuary...noon..._**

...

...

...

...

...

...

The fire was hot, just stoked.

"..."

"..."

"..."

It had been a quiet day.

Not many people knew of this place, but Strong and Codsworth were diligent nonetheless. It had been decided long ago how the area would come along, and so far, Strong was the most eager to do the work. He did not like sitting around with nothing to do, so when the agreement was to start gathering scraps and making use out of everything to rebuild, Strong was all for it. Of course, just because he was having a ball building things, it didn't mean he was any less diligent and aware of the surroundings.

It was clear now that Sanctuary's location was it's greatest defense. Practically nothing came out this way.

Except for the annoying humans that were found in Concord.

One of them constantly complained about everything, but she found out soon enough that the Leader of the group was not going to have any of the negativity.

So there she was, quietly tending to the garden that had been planted some time ago.

"Hey Strong, can you help me with something please?"

Strong turned to see the man that had his crew saved by the mutant's Leader. "What you want cowboy?" Strong stopped nailing the boards to the structure he was building and walked over to the man. Said cowboy couldn't help but snicker at the nickname Strong had given him. "Sturges is trying to get the power armor back in order and we need help opening her up. She was pretty banged up in the fight we had at Concord. We know you're called 'Strong' for a reason. Can you help us?"

If there was anything Strong liked, it was when people gave him some form of compliment or respect. "Strong not understand why humans use power armor, but yes, Strong will help."

Across the area, Codsworth was busy preparing a meal for everyone. Thanks to the efforts of Strong and his Leader, the group now had several days worth of food, the food being Radstag meat, and anything that could be foraged in the area.

Codsworth made sure to follow each recipe he used precisely. He had surprised everyone with how well he completed his tasks and was genuinely a good cook, for something that didn't have taste buds. The aroma was already assaulting everyone's noses. Even Strong had taken a liking to the robot's cooking.

Things were looking up.

After two centuries, Codsworth was truly seeing a change. He wasn't alone anymore, he was reunited with at least the main member of his family, and it seemed that she was not against making more family. The fact that she was able to befriend a Super Mutant spoke volumes. "I wonder who else she will encounter in the commonwealth..." He had a hunch that the madame was going to make a huge impact on the land. And that was when he realized it.

She was the one who started the change.

Ever since she came back and their adventure started, it was quite common now for Codsworth to contemplate these things. Nonetheless, he was truly happy after everything that had happened.

{_It's just as the madame said...'Never lose hope. Keep moving forward and always strive for more.'_}

If the automaton could have smiled, he would have. "Everyone! Lunch is ready!"

With that proclamation, everyone stopped what they were doing.

Lunch sounded very good at the moment.

"Wow Codsworth, you outdid yourself this time. It smells amazing."

"Of course Mr Preston, I try my best. Go ahead, get yourself some silverware and have your fill. I've made plenty for everyone. The madame and Dogmeat will not be here for a while, so have as much as you'd like. I already have some things ready to prepare for her arrival."

Of course, everyone else was just as eager to give their compliments.

"Damn Cods, this is some really hardy stuff, how did you manage to make gravy?" Sturges was impressed.

Strong watched the conversation as he got the personal bowl that was made for him.

"If it weren't for my programming, I would not have the knowledge to make flour. It was a truly arduous task, but it is worth it, I have the leftover flour in a tightly sealed container ready for the next use. Speaking of which, I may need your assistance getting an old oven back in working order. Having a working one would greatly increase the variety in meals I could make."

That sounded like a wonderful idea.

"You can count on it sir." The man couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his face. He knew how bad Preston and everyone else had taken the disbanding of the Minutemen, yet one stranger and her friends were beginning to change everything for them.

It was more than simply amazing.

As lunch commenced, Strong quietly looked out to the land. He did not speak much while everyone else conversed. Other things were on his mind.

"..."

Rex had told him of the Milk Of Human Kindness and the strength it gave the human race. It made him wonder something. {_When human fought with Strong, she took down all enemies. When Human faced the Deathclaw, Deathclaw did not attack._ _Human claims to not have had Milk Of Human Kindness, yet still she is strong. Strong must get stronger. Strong must prove worth. Human capable of much._}

In the short time that Strong knew the little human that saved him and Rex, he was constantly surprised by her. Strong thought he had the ideal way in which the world worked, even the hierarchy of the animal chain. Day by day, he was continuously proved wrong. But it did not anger him. No, he actually was eager to learn more and see what else his new leader was capable of.

Chomp

"...hmm..." He enjoyed his meal, but the questions still lingered.

And of course, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he wanted to accompany her more.

{_Strong will go with human on next venture. Strong want to fight. Strong want to smash something._}

The super mutant looked in the direction his leader had left earlier that morning.

Whatever happened from here on out, he knew that things would become better. Not only for him, but also for the people he was becoming friends with.

"Hmm..."

A few of the others looked at him, wondering what he would say. Codsworth noticed that the mutant was looking at him.

"Rex Goodman was right robot. Human make big change to the world."

Author's Note: As you can see, this chapter is a bit shorter, but for the purpose of this chapter, it didn't really have to be long.

This chapter was to point out who the story will revolve around.

I may have given Preston some tiny screen time but no, not him, nor any of his crew really will have a major role in the story. I like what the Minutemen stand for but I'm not exactly thrilled about being the so called general and then always being told THAT ANOTHER SETTLEMENT NEEDS MY HELP.

If it wasn't for that, I might actually like Preston. But nope.

The main characters will be Lorraine, Dogmeat, Codsworth, Strong, Curie, Nick, Piper, and Cait. Other than Cait's accent, I like her. Some people seem to be fifty fifty when it comes to her and I think it's the accent, but I still like her.

Oh yeah, and my OC, the Obsidian Deathclaw.

I'll elaborate more on him later as the story progresses, there are some things about him that are unique, but eventually, he will show a trait that I think a lot of players would love to see in the game...assuming he was a follower. I think if he were a straight up enemy or multiple Deathclaws could do what he can, they probably would think they were a bit too scary to fight.

Together, all these characters will be 'The Family' of the story.

Hey wait a minute, where IS the sole survivor and Dogmeat? Where are they in this chapter?

Don't worry, we'll get to that eventually.

Anyways, I hope you liked it and I hope this clears up the direction the story will go in.

Thank you very much for reading, and I'm eager to see what you all think.


	3. The Legend

Author's Note: Howdy folks.

How y'all doing? I hope it's good cause right now I'm ready to tear my hair out. I'll let y'all know at the bottom. Like always if I come back to read and see typos or something stupid that happens because of the transition from uploading the document, I'll fix it.

For now, enjoy.

Fallout 4

The Fallen Nation

Chapter Three

The Legend

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...

...

...

The art of the actor had been lost for some time. In this day and age, not many people cared about anything other than making sure food was on the table. Not many knew the thrill of being on the stage, to be able to convey a character from an elaborate world. Not only convey, but to _become_ the character. Unless someone truly studied the art of acting or tried themselves to be an actor or actress, they could not understand the glory that came with the practice.

Rex Goodman was a man who knew this in his heart. A man of his stature had dedicated his life to the methods of Shakespearean play and the like. With the help of his friends, he was now able to live out this career at least in reputable fashion, perhaps not on the big screen, but hundreds would most definitely be able to hear him on the radio.

WRVR Broadcast Station was respected well enough in the Commonwealth.

But the time for working on a new play was put to the side for now. The crew at the station had just welcomed two new guests into their home.

"I know we do not have much room to speak comfortably in here but I hope the couch is an acceptable commodity." Rex had a smile on his face. It wasn't often the elderly gentleman got to speak with the detective of Diamond City or its most adventurous journalist.

The man sat at the reception desk, while to his left in fold up chairs sat Anne Hargraves and George Cooper, his coworkers and friends.

"Don't worry about it chief, this is your humble abode and I'm in no way complaining. It's cozy, and that's all that matters." The familiar robotic detective made certain to reassure his hosts. After all, it wasn't often he came across anyone who actually considered upkeep and care of guests very often.

His companion seemed to feel the same way.

"You know Mr Rex, I gotta say, if anything, I'm really more concerned with how you guys stay safe out here. Nick's right, it's definitely a cozy little place ya got here, but it's to the point that it makes me nervous about your safety. I didn't see anything outside that could protect you. I mean, I saw the cameras but that's about it. You sure you guys are okay out here by yourselves?" The woman frowned, and Rex had been noticing how she kept her pistol at the ready while occasionally looking at the door.

He could tell she was expecting it to just be flung open by some random enemy at a moment's notice.

"You're concerns are justified. But don't worry Piper, we are prepared in case the ugliness of the Commonwealth decides to show its face here. We have weapons and an escape plan in case things go awry. If we do happen to make some extra money in the future, I would most definitely have some lines of defense built for us."

Piper's weariness seemed to diminish. "That's good."

"But of course. Now then, I'm sure you didn't travel this far out for nothing. What can we do for you two? Are you looking to be in acting perhaps?" Rex knew it was unlikely but asking wouldn't hurt.

"Actually, we came here because I was hoping you could help me out with something I learned about yesterday." Piper made herself a little more comfortable. As expected, Rex's curiosity had been piqued. "Hmm? And what would that be?" He crossed his hands in front of his face.

"I heard about what happened at Trinity Tower." Piper seemed to have this air of not only intrigue, but also relief. Rex could only theorize that it had to do with the fact that he was now safe, but he wasn't sure. Either way, he could not help but laugh as he remembered. "Ah yes, it was a poetic rescue indeed. What would you like to know?"

"You're still an idiot for going out there." George rolled his eyes. He hadn't actually learned what happened but he didn't care, he just thought it was a wasted effort to have even gone out there in the first place.

Rex looked at him in annoyance but Anne stepped in. "George, shut up. We all have our calling and Rex decided to try something new because wanted to make a change. And if I recall, he did have some kind of success. Isn't that right?"

Nick watched Piper's reaction. Already they had some answers that she was looking for, and her growing excitement was becoming very apparent. "There's the magic word..." The detective said it with a knowing tone in his voice.

Their hosts looked at him. "Pardon?" Rex raised and eyebrow. What did he mean?

Nick adjusted his hat better. "Piper seems to have noticed a 'change' that's happening in the Commonwealth. If your story lines up with what she was told, then she may be right. A 'change' that the Commonwealth has needed for a long time may actually be right around the corner. Piper, you wanna go ahead and ask away instead of keeping him in suspense?"

Rex was now more interested in his visitors. He turned to the woman with a smile. He was ready to help however he could.

"..."

The young woman had to fix her hair, and she took out a pencil and a paper booklet.

"I need you to tell me everything that happened during the Trinity Tower event. Please?"

Rex's smile only grew larger. He too made himself more comfortable in his chair, the others around him waiting or hear his story.

He began his tale.

"One of the most respected sources of human culture comes from Shakespearean play. Being a master of the bard, I wanted to share my knowledge with Super Mutants. I had heard of the group at Trinity Tower. So, I decided that would be my first stop."

The excitement was palpable in his eyes. He seemed more animated then before.

"In the simplest terms, I wanted to teach Super Mutants the values of human culture. I sincerely felt that I would be able to teach them something worth their time, and in turn, perhaps make some form of impact on Super Mutants as a whole. I began with Macbeth."

Piper would wait to ask questions. For now she would write down anything important, because for this interview, she needed to hear everything before picking and probing.

"As I had assumed would be the initial response, they did not take me seriously. Despite the rather gruesome environment I was in, I continued to give example after example of the arts. Unfortunately as time progressed, their amusement turned into something more sinister. That is, except for one of them..." The man stopped to take a drink of water.

Piper and Nick perked up when they heard this. It looked like Piper's contact was more trustworthy then they expected.

"There was only one Super Mutant who heeded my words, although he took the knowledge a little differently than what I had intended. His name is Strong. There was an excerpt from Macbeth that spoke of 'The Milk Of Human Kindness.' This refers to the strength of humans being nothing more than kindness. The word milk is to identify 'strength', thus, 'strength' of human kindness. Strong took it literally and believes there is an actual elixer of some sort called 'The Milk Of Human Kindness.' Because of this, he wishes to find it, drink it, and in his words, have the strength of humans."

He could tell he had the full attention of his audience, even George.

"He took it so seriously in fact, that he actually stood up for me. But alas, it did him no good, and they locked us inside a cage at the top of the tower. Imagine that. Strong is far from innocent, but his mindset may slowly be heading in the right direction. I still find it surprising even now that he would turn on his brothers because, while his assumption of the Milk was incorrect, his motivation was in the right. He was willing to sacrifice the bonds with his brethren for that. I just hope his new friend is able to teach him better than I could."

Piper noticeably grew attentive to that last bit. Nick knew she wasn't going to be able to be silent for long.

"So now we get to the juicy part." She was ready to learn everything she could.

Rex laughed. "Haha yes well, let's get on to how I was rescued. When Strong and I were trapped in the cage, I made use of the radio that was within. I learned too late that the Super Mutants knew I would call for help, which is why they had that radio in there. I don't know if anyone came looking for me and met a terrible fate before our savior did. I hope it is not the case. But regardless..."

He took a breath, as if to give a dramatic pause.

"I had never seen anything quite like it. Strong and I began to hear gun fire. Obviously, the super mutants were engaging in combat. As the time passed, the gun fire grew louder and louder as whoever was killing them was getting closer. It was more than I thought possible when I found out who it was..." Rex gave a boisterous laugh. "Eventually, their leader Fist grew aware of a new guest in his home."

He straightened his posture.

"It was a woman. But not just her, a dog and a Mr Handy were with her."

Piper was furiously scribbling.

"I was utterly flabbergasted by what I saw. Fist started mocking her, yammering about how she was weak and this and that. She didn't seem to care."

Rex then smiled as he went in a different direction.

"I still remember vividly what she looked like. Striking indeed. She had dark, Raven-Black hair, and it wasn't frazzled or unkempt like many people have theirs nowadays, which gave some credence to her origin story. Sun-Kissed skin, scars on her face, a sure sign that she had fought arduous battles before. One was down her left eye. The other two were on the right side of her face, one atop her brow and one circling under her right eye. She also appeared to have a few burns, but they only gave her more character. Her eyes were a vibrant blue. If it matters, she did not wear makeup. She was young, too young to be facing the horrors of today. Or rather, she was too new to the current day and age. But still she does, and still she conquers."

No one said anything. Some reacted one way, others another.

"Which brings me to the conclusion of the battle at Trinity Tower. Fist would not let us go no matter what she said, too hot-headed that one. And so, they did battle. Fist immediately lay fire upon them with his dreaded minigun. It seemed perilous at first. But his adversaries were smart and used his simple-mindedness against him. They immediately took cover. As Fist continued to mock them, the tyrant fired, fired and fired his weapon until it was too late for him to realize he was wasting all of his ammunition. Though he was now unable to use a firearm, he was still a capable fighter, and had a sledgehammer with him."

He paused to take a drink.

"But that woman was remarkable. She had her robot attack first. As Fist tried attacking the fast moving automaton, her canine friend jumped in and caught Fist by the leg. From there, she did the rest, and I have never seen anything like it. She actually approached him and attacked with her fists. She slugged his face, so hard in fact, that he was momentarily stunned. She landed two more consecutive attacks, but she finished it quickly. As Fist tried to hit her with his hammer, she took a pair of sharp knuckles, stabbed his arms and forcefully _yanked_ the weapon from his grip. He was at her mercy, but she gave him none. Our heroine stabbed him several times in the gut, knocking him down. Once he was disabled, she took her shotgun and aimed at his head. With not a word, she pulled the trigger and blew apart his head. This marks the first time I have ever seen a human fight hand to hand with a super mutant, and not only win, but execute him."

While technically people had fought off super mutants and killed them as well, never before had anyone in the room seen or heard of a person doing it in such a manner.

"And that, my dear Piper, is how I was saved at Trinity Tower." Rex finished with all the grandeur that had become a staple of his personality.

Piper continued to write everything down. "I should really get some holotapes..."

Nick wanted to ask questions but he waited. He knew Piper had much more she needed to know.

"Alright Mister Rex, this is amazing. But I would like some info, specifically about this woman. What do you know about her?" Piper's eagerness was climbing ever higher.

Rex was more than happy to explain.

"Ah, her name is Lorraine, The Sole Survivor of Vault One-Eleven. So far she is trying to adjust to this new world. Her robot companion is named Codsworth, and her canine companion is named Dogmeat, and she's a female. That's all I know about her."

"I see. What happened after Lorraine saved you? Where's Strong?"

"As you may have suspected, Strong is now Lorraine's newest companion. We proceeded to head down the tower and were met with some stragglers, but Strong and Lorraine made quick work of them. After escaping and explaining myself to her, she decided she would take Strong off of my hands. They ended up heading somewhere North East of Trinity Tower. If I may, it is possible you will come across anyone living in that general direction. If your intention is to find her, I would surmise that at this point, she is beginning to make a reputation for herself."

Piper scribbled more notes. "Ho boy...this is gonna give Diamond City one big reality check. Now I just need to talk to her. She's the last piece of the puzzle."

"Given everything you've said so far, I think we may have everything we need. Unless there's something else?" Nick had been paying a lot of attention, and he already had enough to work with in this situation.

The fact that Rex completely explained what she looked like was the biggest help.

Rex thought it over. "There were some super mutants that retreated and vowed they would tear her apart the next chance they were able. Beyond that threat, there is nothing I can think of."

"Duly noted. Super Mutants aren't very smart but their emotions are something to be wary of. You never know when or how they'll plan things. Well Piper, ready to hit the road?"

All eyes landed on her as she scribbled. She was almost entirely in her own world. She had not been this excited in a very long time. {_This girl is gonna turn some heads..._} For a person to be this self-righteous, have the strength and fortitude to conquer an entire hideout full of super mutants...the list was just getting bigger, and Piper knew she made the right choice.

She needed to find this person.

"Mister Rex, thank you so very much for your time. I think it's safe to say you're one of the first people to be a part of another chapter in the Commonwealth's history. We should get going. I do have to get back to my sister and make plans to get this train going."

"Of course my dear. Should either of you be in need of us again, you are always welcome."

OOO

**_Later that day..._**

...

...

...

There are many in Diamond City that did not agree with the saying that their home was 'the jewel' of the Commonwealth. Sure, it was probably one of the most well guarded living spaces in the Commonwealth, if not the best, but many of the people did not think it was magical.

Although, during night-time, it was certainly more agreeable. At night, when the stars were out, it was truly a spectacle. All the neon signs were on, the stars still shone, and when a full, bright moon was out, truly, it was beautiful.

Tonight was such a night.

"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"

"Yes...gimme a bowl of noodles yah stupid robot." A familiar cage fighter decided to come by town. All around, people were strolling through the plaza, some going to the bar. Others were conversing with some of the merchants.

The woman not so patiently waited for her bowl of noodles. Today had been a real success. Fight after fight, she persevered. She made quite a killing. Plenty of caps meant she didn't have to wait for Tommy to give her more chems, so that was a plus.

But the extra caps also meant she could indulge in other things.

Tonight, she would have some noodles. She kept to herself as always, and while it was annoying to order sometimes, she would admit that the noodles weren't half bad. "..." She sat quietly, but she tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.

"Hey, look who came to town. How's it hangin Cait?"

Instead of rolling her eyes, the woman turned to see two familiar faces. "Just cause I work every day of me life doesn't mean I don't get out. Y'all two on a date or something?" She finally did roll her eyes once she recognized them. The journalist of Diamond City and the detective of Diamond City.

Great, they had to show up when she wanted to be alone.

"Actually, we're hunting my next story, pretty cool stuff happening as of late." Piper decided to sit next to her. Whether it was intentional or not, Nick got on Cait's other side.

{_They trapped me. Can't they just fucking leave me alone?_ }

"How's life treating you Cait? Still working for Tommy?" Nick lit up a cigarette. He may be a robot, and while he knew the girl was pretty rash, that did not stop him from being concerned about her situation.

Resigning to her fate, the brawler just sighed with an annoyed expression. "Ya, still working for Tommy."

"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"

"Yes I'll have a bowl." Piper was already looking over her notes by the time she ordered.

"..."

During their return from WRVR station, both she and Nick went over everything they learned. First was the implication that a human fought a super mutant up close and personal and was able to best him. Yes, she had gotten help from her two other companions, but still, to be apparently strong enough to take a weapon out of his hands by force was simply unheard of, even if she did use sharp knuckles to stab his arms. Super mutants were known to just be too physically powerful to overcome in such a way.

If what Rex said was true, then things were going to be even more interesting.

"Hello?"

Piper ripped her eyes from her notes and turned to see Cait and Nick staring at her. "What now?"

The brawler rolled her eyes. "I was asking you and Nick what sort of stuff you're running around after."

At this, Piper couldn't help but start talking, even if it was to someone as unbearable as Cait. "Girl, we've got _a lot_ of cool stuff to go over. You might even like it since you know, you like cage fights so much." She knew she had the woman's attention when she looked at her incredulously.

"What makes yah so sure of that?"

Piper smirked. Hook, line and sinker. "Well for starters, we're looking for someone who fought and took down all the super mutants at Trinity Tower. All she had was her robot and dog with her."

Cait turned to Nick. "I smell bullshite. Is she telling the truth?"

Nick of course knew it was true. "Piper was told that Rex Goodman and one friendly super mutant were saved from Trinity Tower. Their savior was a woman who came from a vault. At the end, she supposedly fist-fought their leader and finished him off with her shotgun when she beat him down. That's not why Piper is looking for her, but that's something to respect."

Cait shook her head. "I'll believe it when I see it."

At this time, their host gave both her and Piper their ramen.

They didn't seem to notice that a few people were listening in on their conversation.

"Well if you're lucky you'll meet her eventually. Being new to everything I'm sure she's eventually gonna come through town, but I'd rather go look for her instead."

Cait gave her a questioning gaze. "What yah mean she's 'new to everything?'"

Before either Nick or Piper could answer, they were interrupted.

"Scuse me, are you kids talking about that lady from vault one eleven?"

The three of them turned to see a scavenger walk up to them. He seemed very interested.

But what he said was most interesting to Nick and Piper.

The journalist all but forgotten her food. "Huh? Do you know her?" She grew an excited look on her face. The man gave a tired smile. They also noticed how his leg seemed to be wrapped up tightly. "If you're talking about that Lorraine chick, yeah. I mean I don't know her, but I know a little about her. I didn't get to talk to her personally because she was unconscious at the time, but her friends told me some stuff."

Two of Diamond City security were watching the conversation curiously, but they didnt didn't make it apparent.

Piper clapped her hands together and pointed at him with a huge smile. "Sir I think you just won yourself a free meal, wanna talk with us?"

By now, Cait was almost done with her meal. But she decided she would humor them all and ate patiently. Besides, she had nothing better to do. {_Maybe she's not as crazy as I was thinkin'_}

The older man chuckled in return. "Yes ma'am, don't mind if I do." He limped a little, but he was able to carefully sit without rupturing his wound.

He watched as Piper took her notebook and went to the next blank page. She then looked at the protectron chef.

"Takashi?"

"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"

"Yes sir."

With her new source's meal taken care of, Piper looked at him in excitement. "Alrighty, my name is Piper Wright. What's yours and what can you tell me about Lorraine from Vault One Eleven?"

"..."

The man cleared his throat and made himself comfortable. "The name's Ian McCain. I'm just your regular old scavenger. Really gettin' too old for this, haha. I'd say about a week ago or so from today, I was on my way to Green-Top Nursery to do some trading. Unfortunately on my way there, I ran into a Yao Guai. This was around Old Gullet Sinkhole. Sucker caught me off guard because he was right behind a huge Boulder. I was able to run a few circles around him and landed a few shots, but eventually I had to get up a tree and he got my leg."

He cleared his throat once more.

"Next thing I know, a _super mutant_ comes outta nowhere and gets the bastard off my back. Then a robot shows up. I realize it's a whole damn squad when a woman shows up with her dog. So the dog stays back, probably because she seemed scared. The mutant and robot fight the bear, and the lady ends up getting distracted by mole rats. So she gets rid of them, but she ends up getting knocked down by the Yao Guai into the sinkhole."

The others watched him curiously when they noticed he bit his lip and looked elsewhere. It was as if he was nervous about saying what was next, but he continued.

"So the bear follows her in their and so do her friends. Meanwhile I was taking my time because I had to wrap my leg and stop the bleeding. Once I finished, I went in there..." He paused with a strange look on his face. "...I think what came next thing was the craziest thing I've ever seem in my life. When I got in there, the Yao Guai was gone. But then I noticed that Lorraine was on the other side of the area with her dog, and the mutant and robot were right where I dropped down..."

He then looked at his audience in a way that made it seem he couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"I realized why the Yao Guai left. Uh...so this is gonna sound crazy...but I swear on my life this is what I saw."

He cleared his throat one final time.

"There was a Deathclaw in the area, and for _whatever _the reason, Lorraine was sitting next to it and apparently wrapping up a wound that it had on it's leg."

By now a few people were sneaking glances at the small group, but they didn't notice.

Piper just looked at him, her expression saying it all.

He continued. "...yeah...that was my reaction. It's really been a long time since I saw one, but this bastard was huge. He was nearly all black, had _a lot _of spikes on his body and just looked much more intimidating then a lot of other ones I'd seen. His eyes were different too. I got brown eyes. His looked platinum. And right here in my eyes where all this white is at, his were red."

"You're shitting me." Cait was very skeptical.

Piper looked at her. "Shh." She turned back to Ian and waited.

"It's all true kiddo. So after that, we end up leaving the sinkhole. Lorraine had passed out, but I learned from her friends that she was a vault dweller and had just saved the mutant that day. His name was Strong. I remember now. The robot was Codsworth and the german shepard was Dogmeat. They were just trying to get home and had barely left Green-Top Nursery. They were headed in Concord's direction when we split."

"There is no bloody way in hell a person got that close to a Deathclaw and didn't get sliced into bacon bits." Cait's bullshit detector was going off, understandably so.

Instead of being aggravated at her rudeness, Ian merely laughed. "Well I understand how you feel but if you want, go visit that sinkhole and see for yourself. You might just find his dead body, cause I doubt with that wound he would be able to get some grub before he starved. It only takes what, thirty minutes or so to get there from here?"

"I've been in the area before. Never seen a Deathclaw lurking around. Considering the fact that there are two settlers there, I also kinda have to question it. But it's hard to dismiss if you already knew about Lorraine and her companions before we even said anything vital. Kinda hard for you to have a reason to make something like that up." Nick had been silently absorbing everything, and now that he had enough info, he spoke his mind.

Ian smiled solemnly. "I had a feeling it would be a tough pill to swallow. But I only told you because that's something to think about. He didn't attack any of us, even when Strong walked right up to him so he could pick up Lorraine to transport her. Yeah his leg was hurt, but the law of the Commonwealth says that Deathclaws kill anything that move. Why should it have been any different on that particular day?"

"You guys mighta just met a living legend." Another voice pitched in.

They all turned to see a security guard walk up to them.

Piper finished her last note. "Pardon?" She was a bit wary of the guards. Normally they just talked a lot of smack to her.

But this guy seemed to be taking their conversation seriously.

"Lots of folk come through here. Your conversation reminded me about something I heard a few years ago. Most I can remember is that there's a legend going around those wackos that don't get screwed over by radiation. Those...atom folk I think."

Nick knew exactly who he was referring too. "You're talking about the Children Of Atom. Those are pretty dangerous people if you aren't careful."

"Yeah that's them! So anyways, guy comes in here with his girl and they start talking about how them atom people came across a certain kind of Deathclaw that no one else had seen before. It was at the bar and it was kinda cramped, the most I could make out was that he was a huge mothertrucker, black as night. But they were trying to figure out why he was so special. Apparently the atom folk had seen it do things no other Deathclaw could do. A whole village worth of them atom folk were slaughtered because they tried to kill it when they saw it. Supposedly only one survivor made it out and lived to talk about it. He claimed that the monster had been walking by when they attacked. They pissed him off so he took them out. Done and done. They had a name for him. Uh...sint something. Not sure. But I really wanna say it's a name that starts with 'sint'. So if that Deathclaw is real, you, that lady and her friends got lucky. For anyone or anything to take out that many atom folk? Ain't nothing to laugh at. They're just as bad as super mutants, sometimes worse because of their way overpowered bombs and guns. You're lucky if you make it passed their nuke grenades. Yikes. A Deathclaw being tough and strong enough to get through all that? Don't get on it's bad side. Have a good night folks, y'all take care." The man gave a casual wave and walked off.

The others of course had to contemplate everything they just heard.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Nan-ni shimasu-ka?"

OOO

**_The next day..._**

...

...

...

There was a soft mist that spanned across the Commonwealth this very morning. Due to the after affects of the war, weather was not always certain one way or the other. Piper guessed it would rain, and if it did, she was fine.

Her partner took out a cigarette. "So...ready to hit the road?"

The previous night, there had been a huge conversation regarding everything they had learned. The priority of course was to find the mysterious vault dweller. The more Piper dug into the subject, the more puzzling the entire ordeal seemed to be. After what that Diamond City security said, she was beginning to wonder what was fact and what was fabrication. Everything just seemed to be getting crazier and crazier. How could any of it make sense?

Regardless, she was going to get to the bottom of the entire ordeal. "Yeah, let's go."

The plan was to take the safest route, so they would need to go Northwest.

"Yah know I've been thinking...if everything is true about this girl, we're gonna want to be careful. If she's just learning how to adapt to the world, there's a good chance she's going to be very wary after everything she's gone through. No telling how she's taking everything in." Nick had seen that there was plenty of good things that seemed to come out of all the information they had, but he had also seen how fresh faces from the vaults usually reacted to the real world.

Most of the time, it wasn't pretty.

"Are you saying she might attack us?"

"Not without reason, no. But think about the fact that usually, if someone's looking for you, does it generally turn out to be a good thing?"

"...no. You got a point."

Nick nodded as they weaved passed the buildings. "So, Vault 81 right?"

Piper looked over her notes as they walked. "Yeah, lot less likely of getting screwed over if we walk that way..."

Both individuals then kept chatter to a minimum.

It was no small secret that both raiders and super mutants were so desperate for kills that they operated right outside Diamond City's walls. Just as they did the previous day, they would have to take a route that was the least likely to be trouble.

"..."

The previous night, they offered Cait the chance to go with them. After everything had been said and done, she had finally asked Piper why she was even chasing the story. As both the journalist and the detective thought, Cait just blew it off as a fool's errand once she learned of Piper's reasoning.

She had been too hardened by the Commonwealth to believe there was any good left in the world. While she was interested in fighting their quarry, assuming it was true that she bested a super mutant, when they told her what time they were leaving, she passed.

She had fights today. Maybe some other time she would tag along.

{_That girl really needs to get away from that place..._} Nick had always been the type to see fairness in all things. While he was an artificial intelligence physically, he was proud to say that he could be considered a person. It was because he legitimately cared about the well-being of others that he was finally accepted in Diamond City. Not everyone accepted him, but the majority did.

He met Cait a few years ago. Their first encounter had been rather heated if only due to her brash nature, but Nick was one of the best when it came to keeping a level head. It was why he was able to deduce so much just by observing her mannerisms. Thus, he made a very well thought out conclusion about her and how she could turn things around for herself.

Piper was a different story. She had been very close to blowing Cait's brains out when they met, but only because the brawler had been excruciatingly rude. Obviously that was no legitimate reason to plaster someone's brains on the pavement, but it took Piper a very long time to tolerate the woman afterwards.

The streets were a little quieter then usual. Nick suspected it had to do with the mist, but at the very least, they were walking softly, and the ambient noise of the weather kept them hidden.

But it wouldn't be long until they heard gunfire in the distance.

"...Don't tell me that's around the river..." Piper's voice came down to a whisper. Both individuals crouched low as they continued to follow the path.

"It is. Let's make sure it ain't no caravan being attacked. Come on." As per Nick's nature, he wanted to prevent the possibility of innocent blood being spilled. He knew just how close Vault 81 was to the river they would have to come across, and it wasn't uncommon for people to be attacked there.

That's when he remembered it. "Shit, Parkview Apartments. Super Mutants usually hang there."

By now, he and Piper were running.

Nick's theory had been proven correct. The apartments he spoke of actually looked over the river, and once he and Piper made it, they could see a scuffle on the other side of the river. It was around the old broken down diner, and despite the distance, Nick and Piper could see the caravan's brahmin.

They immediately ran for it. Going across the west side of the lake would take too long, so they dashed alongside the apartments.

It looked like the scuffle was nearly over, but neither Nick nor Piper were going to leave the matter. As soon as they were within range, they opened fire.

"GAH! MORE HUMANS!" The super mutant who had been shot, turned to see Piper and Nick.

Both took cover behind the apartment walls as soon as he started shooting. "Idiot doesn't realize we're distracting him...nice."

She spared a laugh, but her blood ran cold when she heard a familiar sound.

'Tick' 'tock' 'tick' 'tock' 'tick' 'tock'

"Oh boy..."

Nick had already taken a peak and saw what it was. "Suicider! Move it!"

Nick tried firing at the quickly approaching kamikaze, but the other mutants were firing at him, preventing him from getting a clear shot.

Piper spared one glance back as she and Nick moved.

"THIS IS AGE OF SUPER MUTANTS! I DIE FOR BROTHERS!"

He was closing in.

But he would not make it to them.

_'BLAM'_

A blast of highly concentrated energy blasted through the air and blew apart his head.

The mini nuke in his arms did not detonate as he fell.

Both individuals looked in the direction of Vault 81, which is where the attack came from.

How curious indeed. They saw a Mrs Nanny Robot, German shephard, and a woman in a vault suit already on the move, attacking the last of the super mutants head on.

"STUPID LADY-_GAH!_"

The woman had blocked the mutants attack, and tore off his jaw with the huge clawed gauntlet she had on her person.

Another swipe at his face, and she detached his head.

Her companions and the caravan guard finished off the last two mutants.

There had not been many left, and to the relief of the caravan, the battle was finally over.

"..."

"..."

Both Nick and Piper exchanged glances.

Could it be?

"...Do you think-"

"_Yes._ Let's go talk to her!"

Piper was the one who started jogging towards the others while Nick walked at a calm pace. {_Well...she did just save our asses...__I guess she won't be cutting our heads off like that super mutant..._}

Piper's excitement soared as she grew closer. Rex Goodman's description of their quarry matched the woman she was looking at.

She just needed to see her face now. Said woman was talking to and inspecting the caravan. They seemed grateful, even the guards, which was surprising.

Usually the caravan guards were jerks.

"Excuse me!" Piper shouted eagerly.

It appeared that the merchant was trying very hard already to sell some things to their savior.

But the woman heard Piper so she turned around.

Both Nick and Piper studied her as she looked at them curiously.

But she was the one to initiate the conversation. "Hey there. You guys okay?"

Piper made a big show of catching her breath once she was right in front of the woman and her companions.

"Well thanks again girl for the help, you need more boom-boom, you come to me." The caravan merchant was a skinny woman who looked a little 'hooked' if anything. Obviously she was used to hitting the chems.

The woman turned to her. "Thanks Cricket. I'll see about next time."

When she turned back around, she noticed how intently Piper was looking at her, while Nick was just sort of standing there.

She raised her eyebrow.

"Uh, is there something I can help you with?"

* * *

Authors Note: Sweet jesus finishing off this chapter was such a pain in the ass. My regular phone died on me and so did the charger to my laptop,, So NOW for the moment anyway I have to use this crummy prepaid phone to do anything.

If I wasn't so stubborn I probably would have just quit for a while. We'll see how long I can stand working with this tiny thing.

Regardless I hoped you liked it. While I write these chapters I may try little things here and there, so just bare with me.

Now, what did we learn this chapter?

We're getting some juice on my OC and we're seeing how the characters and the Commonwealth are reacting to the Sole Survivor. We'll see it in tidbits from time to time.

Next chapter will revolve mainly around our followers and their interactions with the sole survivor.

Thank you, I'll see you then.


End file.
